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Sunday, April 28, 2013

We had a great weekend away. We went to some Texas Country concerts in Stephenville, Texas. The concert series starts on a Tuesday and lasts through Sunday. Six days of amazing artists. My husband and I only went for three days, but it was a perfect mini vacation. It is at a camping location called Melody Mountain Ranch. There are millions of people, campers, food vendors, and a stage of great artists. Definitely our cup of tea!

Now that I am back home, it is really sinking in that Mother's Day is just two weeks away. Unbelievable! I have yet to come up with any unique ideas for my own mom. However, I made this personalized tea bag set for a dear friend of mine. I think it would make a perfect Mother's Day gift. It is also a very easy project for little ones to help with. Did I mention it only costs as much as a box of tea??!?

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Oh did I have fun making this present! We had a birthday party for my son's cousins, and I couldn't seem to find a present I thought he would really enjoy. I searched the internet for a DIY spy kit to no success. I really wanted to make a spy kit that functioned more like a mystery game or a solve the crime kit. Of course, I came up with the idea a day before the party, so I really had to get to work fast on this birthday present!

I took a box and modge podged some spy symbols such as fingerprints, a spy, and some words like Top Secret.

I picked up some essential items for my spy kit at the store: spy disguise, handcuffs, gun, agent badge, and some rope.

Here is the full spy kit list.

CSI Field Kit

1.Spy
notebook for recording clues

2.Ink
pad for taking fingerprints for evidence

3.Fingerprint
file cards for keeping track of suspects

4.Spy
disguise

5.Secret
message maker wheel

6.Fingerprint
lifting tape (scotch tape)

7.Fingerprint
dusting powder

8.Flashlight

9.Specimen
swabs (Q tips)

10.Evidence bags (ziploc bags)

11.Evidence: Plastic gun, knife, money

12.Suspect cards

13.Magnifying Glass

14.Specimen Containers (old spice containers)

15.Disappearing Ink

16.Fingerprint glass (picture frame or
glass) and brush

Several of my spy kit items were on sale at Michael's craft store. I completely lucked out.

I made some Solve the Case cards and had them laminated. The object of the game is to determine the criminal, weapon, location, and crime.

By laminating the cards, the players can use a dry erase marker to write on them. The cards can be easily erased with a cloth or paper towel.

I wanted this spy kit to be personalized for the birthday boy, so I made the suspects family members and good friends.

Thank goodness for facebook so I could capture images of all the suspects I needed. I googled some funny names such as Robin Banks (bank robber), Sam Dayoulpay, Sue Case, Nadia Seymour, and more.

I wrote funny things about each family member because I hoped the birthday boy would get a kick out of reading each suspect's profile.

Secret Spy
Guidelines

1. All spy gadgets need to be in working order.
2. A good spy always keeps his or her wits about them.
3. A good spy has only one fear and that is other spies.
4. Keep your face neutral, you do not want to express your emotion.
5. Make sure you don't get yourself into any trouble!
6. Don't spy on people you don't know. Stay safe!

7. Be careful! Always keep your name a secret. Don't
trust suspicious members of your team, for they could be double agents.
8. Never wander away from your team and don't trust strangers.
9. Find a secret meeting place.
10. Don't make too much noise! You don't want to get caught.
11. Bring a spy bag with you, to keep all your gadgets in. Maybe even some
snacks in case you get hungry.

How to Play Secret Agent

Setup: Fingerprint each player on the
Fingerprint File Cards.

1.Select
one or two detectives for each game. The detectives should leave the room.

The rest of the players will be in charge of creating the crime scene.

2.Crime
scene team should decide which suspect is the actual criminal. If present, they
can place the criminal’s fingerprints on the fingerprint glass.

3.Select
crime scene location and label it with caution tape or clues.

4.Select
a weapon of choice between the rope, plastic gun, plastic knife, and fake money
and leave it at the crime scene.

5.Leave
some evidence for the evidence bags and specimen containers. Example, if the
criminal loves ketchup leave some out at the crime scene to be swabbed.

6.Choose 3-4 suspect cards to leave out for the detectives to help narrow down their search.

7.Once your crime scene is set up, allow the detectives to enter the room and investigate the clues with their secret agent supplies. They may even decide to question any witnesses and record their findings in their spy notebook.

8.The detectives may dust for fingerprints, collect specimens, collect items in the evidence bags and possibly wear their disguises while on the case.

9.Once the detectives have assessed the evidence, they will complete a Solve the Case card with a dry erase marker to see if they are correct.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Well, we put our house on the market last month and we have already received a contract on our home! We live out in the middle of the country in Texas, and feel very blessed to have sold our house this quickly. However, our plan is to move about 30 minutes away, and build a new home. This should be very interesting!! Did I mention we were going to live in an RV on the land we purchased with our 3 and 5 year old boys while this transpires. Oh...and we have one more on the way. You can say it...we are not too smart. Ha! This year will definitely not be boring.

We have been working on plans for the new home already in hopes for a quicker transition. I was excited to be offered this post about the Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet. I had never heard of it before, and even better, it can be purchased at Lowes.

I wish I already had the Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet in my home while we had our house on the market for a month. Keeping a 3 bedrooom, 2 living, 2 bathroom house clean with little ones for the last month has been a bit of a nightmare. I would have loved to not have to wipe the bathroom faucet down every morning from little tiny fingerprints and water spots. The Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet is spot resistant and fingerprint resistant. Awesome!! Count me in for my new home.

Look how beautiful it is too. What will they come up with next? Oh and I forgot to mention it is WaterSense Compliant. It uses less water without sacrificing performance.I guess I am off to talk to my builder about incorporating this amazing faucet in my plans.

Don't forget to join me and become a fan of Moen on Facebook and Twitter @Moen!

Here is a tour of the rest of my house. It was very challenging keeping it clean through this process. I wish Moen made spotless solutions for my whole home!

Our second living area.

Our kitchen...a complete remodel in this 100 year old farmhouse.

Family room

One of the boy's bedrooms

Guest bathroom with the custom vanity my husband built. (Instructions available on another post)

Our bedroom

Chicken coop...I love them!

Our old barn...the old kind you can drive through the middle like the Dukes of Hazard

Bye Bye house. We will miss you if everything goes well. We are set to close at the end of April. Wish us luck!

About Me

Welcome! Thanks for visiting. I am a wife, mother of two small boys, and a nurse. I enjoy crafts, activities, and just experimenting in general. My true love is quilting but that is always a big endeavor. Therefore, I am always up for creating short and simple crafts for myself, gifts, and for my kids to participate in. I find true joy in just small attempts at creativity!